Poetry of Milosz Featured at Colombia
By Raymond Rolak
New York — An evening of poetry and remembrance will be held at Columbia Universityon Saturday, October 27, 2011 at 5:30 pm., in the Butler Library. It will be a celebration of the memorabilia and poems of Czeslaw Milosz.
He died in 2004 at the age of 93 and had previously been a professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of California-Berkley from 1961 to 1998.
Milosz, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1980, has an exhibition of artifacts opening at the Butler Library. Controversy always followed him. He refused to categorically identify himself as either a Pole or a Lithuanian. He defected to France in 1951 and immigrated to the United States in 1960.
The commemorated author will be honored with comments by Professor Helen Vendler of Harvard University. The event will coincide with other multilingual readings of his poetry by members of the Colombia University community. Also featured will be Colombia’s Alan Timberlake and Dr. Anna Frajlich, who will both do readings.
Another celebration of the centennial of his birth will be the academic poetry conference at Claremont McKenna College in Los Angeles, October 19-21. Readings by Polish and American Poets including Piotr Florczyk, Jacek Gutorow and Joanna Treciak will be featured on Thursday, October 20th at 3:00 PM.
By determination of the Prime Bishop, with the concurrence of the Supreme Council, the Consecration of the Very Rev. Paul Sobiechowski to the Office of Bishop in the Holy Polish National Catholic Church will take place on the Feast of St. Luke the Apostle and Evangelist, Tuesday, October 18th.
Fr. Senior Paul was elected to the Office amidst the work of the Church’s 26th General Synod last fall.
Very Rev. Paul Sobiechowski was born in Detroit, Michigan’s East Side. His father was an autoworker and his mother was a homemaker. Fr. Senior Paul spent his formative years at All Saints Polish National Catholic Church. He graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in history and Polish Language, completed his studies at Savonarola Theological Seminary, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1979. Father Paul served All Saints Cathedral Parish in Chicago for 4 1/2 years as assistant to Bishop Joseph Zawistowski.
From December 1983 through March 2011 Father Paul served as Administrator of the Bishop Kardas Memorial Home and continues to serve as Pastor of St. Joseph’s Polish National Catholic Church, Davie, Florida. The administrative senior of PNC parishes in Florida, he has served the general church as a member (past chair) of the Commission on Mission and Evangelism and as a member of the Supreme Council. For many years he has been a member of the Liturgical Commission and the PNC/RC Dialogue. He is chair of the PNC/Anglican Dialogue. Additionally, Father Paul has been the chaplain for the Polish Legion of American Veterans (state of Florida) and has coordinated an ecumenical chaplaincy program at a local hospital in South Florida for more than 20 years. Father Paul has embraced the challenges and joys of serving a culturally diverse congregation, preparing and celebrating liturgies in Polish, English, Spanish, and most recently Haitian Creole.
Following his consecration, Bishop Paul becomes the Diocesan Ordinary of the Eastern Diocese of the PNCC. Please continue to pray for him, his family, and his ministry.
Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how to entangle him in his talk. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Hero’di-ans, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God truthfully, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the money for the tax.” And they brought him a coin. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard it, they marveled; and they left him and went away. — Matthew 22:15-22
On Monday, September 12th, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese Of New York, The Permanent Observer Mission of The Holy See To The United Nations, and the Roman Catholic Church Of The Holy Family at 315 East Forty-Seventh Street, New York hosted a Prayer Service on the Opening of the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The service was led by the Most Reverend Francis A. Chullikatt, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and was attended by members of various Churches who joined in prayer for the work of the United Nations.
Rt. Rev. John Mack of the Central Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church attended the service accompanied by Rev. Gregory Młudzik of Transfiguration Parish in Wallington, New Jersey. The Orthodox Church in America was represented by Metropolitan Jonah along with Archimandrite Christopher [Calin], Dean of Holy Virgin Protection Cathedral, New York, NY; Protodeacon Joseph Matusiak, Secretary to the Metropolitan, and Mr. Michael Zachariades, Assistant to the Metropolitan. His Eminence Mor Cyril Aphrem Karimx of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch was represented by Very Rev. Fr. Shamoun Asmar and Rev Fr. Aziz Hadodo.
This year’s ceremonies were particularly special due to the presence of The UN Secretary General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, who addressed the audience on the solemn 10th Anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center.
